A Warehouse Carol
by DanieXJ
Summary: I love Christmas Fanfic. This is mostly what it says in the title. Takes place the December after the Season 3 Finale. We could even call it my alternative to the Christmas Episode...
1. Past

Title: **A Warehouse Carol**

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters here-in. And although I totally love 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' that belongs to the awesome Dr. Seuss. Ah, also, not all opinions of Helena G. Wells are shared by the author... Heh... :-D

A/N: What can I say. I sorta love Christmas. Or more specifically writing for the Christmas Season with Fanfic. Which, also makes me realize that I've never tried writing an original set during Christmas. Anyway, usually I do something set around the ER fandom, and around 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, but I decided to change it up this year.

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><p><strong>Past<strong>

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><p>Helena G. Wells woke with a start. Her heart beating double time compared to the clock on the mantle. She looked around, something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint what. It was like she wasn't supposed to be where she was.<p>

The former Warehouse agent put a hand over her heart as it slowed down and she looked around. She was in the Bed and Breakfast run by Leena in Univille, South Dakota, right down the street, sort of, was the Warehouse, the thirteenth one.

She reached for her locket on the bedside table, but couldn't find it and quickly snapped on the light and gasped. Standing next to her bed was of all people, her daughter. "Christina..." She reached out, but Christina moved, she almost seemed to float backwards. "Please." Helena sat up in the bed.

The young girl still didn't say anything, but tilted her head to one side and then held out a hand. Helena stared at it for a long moment and then her hand darted forward and clasped the smaller one.

In the blink of an eye Helena and Christina weren't in the Bed and Breakfast's bedroom any longer, but in Warehouse 12, a hundred years or so before. Helena looked down at Christina, "What?"

But her question was answered when she, though younger by a little bit, appeared. The younger her, HG, seemed to be doing inventory.

"Young lady, whatever are you doing? Tonight of all nights?"

HG smiled sadly at her teacher as Helena and Christina watched from their other dimension. "Cataranga, someone must do th is. And tonight the Warehouse is silent, calm."

Cataranga put an arm around HG. "It is Christmas Eve. Do you not have plans with your brother. Your family?"

HG carefully wrote on her list. "Don't fret about me lil' ole me Cataranga. I will survive."

"But, my dear, there is more to life than just enduring it."

"I-" HG looked down, then back up at Cataranga, "Tonight I need to be alone. Please."

Cataranga studied HG for a bit, and then inclined his head. "I will give you tonight then, but tomorrow I will be making you have a good time Agent Wells."

HG smiled despite herself.

Helena wasn't smiling, but looking down at her daughter. "Tell me the point. This is the past. I understand that, but why-"

Christina shook her head and pointed towards HG again. The scene had changed a bit. They were in a different aisle and Helena groaned. "Oh- past, as in, the night I started in earnest looking for a way to bring you back. When I-" She sighed as HG flipped through the hand written pages of all the artifacts in the aisle. "-went to the Dark Side. As Pete would say. You would like Pete."

She glanced down at her daughter, at their intertwined hands. "I never did like Chuck's trite serials. Nothing more than pandering to- the lowest common denominator. But-" She looked at herself, "Am I not supposed to be going to my happy childhood so I will be less evil?"

Helena didn't get an answer, instead she blinked and everything went black.


	2. Present

**Present**

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><p>Helena jerked awake again and put a hand to her head. It had been a dream. A weird dream about her daughter and Cataranga both dead. And Warehouse 12, long gone. She probably should have stayed away from the fruitcake, but she didn't remember having fruitcake, or really anything at all before she'd woken up.<p>

She looked over at the shadow of the lamp shade. She was a curious woman. It was why she had joined the Warehouse team. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to meet the 'present' ghost.

She just sat there for a long moment before she reached over and flicked on the switch. Steve Jinks stood there. "HG."

Helena climbed out from under the covers again, "My ghost of Christmas Present?"

"I prefer to think of myself as an apparition of the Current Time who just happens to be appearing on the second most joyous day of the year."

"The Fourth of July?"

Steve shot Helena a look, "You are hilarious HG."

Helena held out a hand, "Fine, fine, let's get this over with then."

Steve waggled a finger, "No trip needed. Where we're going is just outside your door. Mostly. There's a hallway too." He led and after she steeled herself she followed.

They stopped when they got to the Bed and Breakfast's sitting room. It was decked to the nines for Christmas, but the decorations seemed flat, and there was no joy in the room.

Leena was trying though. "Not going home this year, well- I thought I'd bring home to you guys."

Pete looked up, his nose twinging, "Fruitcake? Mmm..."

Pete got a piece, a very large piece, and sat back down. But when Leena offered it to Myka she held a hand up, "No, thank you Leena."

Leena opened and closed her mouth, but it was Pete who spoke through a full mouth. "Why dimpf you go-" he swallowed, "home Mykes?"

Myka stood and went to the window. The wind was blowing fiercely, but there wasn't a flake of snow on the ground. "I just didn't Pete."

"Mykes..."

Myka bit back at her partner, "Don't, just, don't..." and left the room.

Helena turned, but Steve had other ideas, holding onto the former Warehouse agent before she could follow Myka. "Jinks, let me follow her."

Steve shook his head, "She is not the point. Not in the Present."

Helena stared at Myka's retreating back anyway. Pete was done with his fruitcake when she turned back to he and Leena. Helena had never been quite sure where he put it all. And he was talking to Leena about Myka, "It's been, what, two, nearly three months."

Leena interrupted Pete, "Eighty three days." At Pete's look Leena answered his unasked question, "Myka told me."

Pete sighed, "I just don't understand."

Leena shook her head, "No, you wouldn't."

Pete looked quizzically at Leena, "What do you mean? They were friends, and HG saved us from the explosion, but she was just-"

"Think Peter- think back to- to the forest, before all this started."

Peter frowned, "Destroying the Janus Coin?" Leena nodded, "I don't get-"

Leena sighed, "She loved her."

Pete waved a hand, "Oh, I knew that. HG loved Myka and wasn't subtle about it. I knew that. Flirted so much even I could tell she liked Mykes. There was that whole, 'many of my lovers with men, and the pully uppy thing, and the whole, can't live with out you stuff."

"No. Myka loved Helena too."

Pete was silent. "Myka? Why?"

Leena sighed, "There's no why."

"But there was Sam, and she's not gay- and..."

Leena smiled, "You believe that someone can only be one or the other?"

"Uh, I don't, I don't know. Should I know?" Pete trailed off, "I don't know. Myka, a lesbian."

"Or Bisexual, or perhaps an Wells-ian..."

"A Wells-ual?"

Leena tilted her head to the side. "Sometimes we don't know who we'll fall in love with until we do Pete. It's been the plot of more movies than a person can ever see." Leena paused, "Or perhaps you thought it would be you."

"What?" Pete shook his head, "No, no... she's like, Myka's like a sister to me."

"Well, your sister misses the woman she loved and it's Christmas Eve. Everything always hurts worse tonight, tomorrow. Always. So-"

Pete's frown deepened, but he stood, "I should go make sure she's okay." Leena nodded and Pete spoke again, "HG wasn't so bad."

Leena hid a smile, "You liked her then?"

Pete shrugged, "She was blinded by her grief. And when she wasn't trying to destroy the world, or that sort of thing, she was helpful, even sort of funny sometimes. Had a nice smile. Liiikkkeee- wellll..."

Helena rolled her eyes as Pete went towards Myka's room. "How many times do I save his life before he doesn't despise me?" She turned to Steve, "But, this isn't the story. You're not supposed to show me people saying good things about me Jinks."

Steve shook his head, "That is not the point of your story Agent Wells." He whacked Helena on the head and everything went black again.


	3. Future

**Future**

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><p>Helena put a hand to the side of her head, "Ow-" but otherwise didn't move. She didn't know how long she'd stayed under the covers in a bed that was clearly not her own. The Present had jogged her memory. Apples, the Bracelet, putting the barrier around Myka as the Warehouse seemed to dissolve around her.<p>

Finally a throat cleared. Helena ignored it.

Then the voice boomed, "Helena G. Wells."

Helena sighed, finally rolled over and snapped on the light. As she'd guessed from the voice it was her brother who was the ghost of the Future. "Just be gone Charles. I don't- I don't want to see the Future."

Charles puffed up his chest and still talking in his booming voice spoke, "You will come with me!" He jerked her to her feet and she stumbled to a stop when they got wherever in the future he'd taken them. She barely caught herself before she hit the ground, with no help from her brother.

They were back in the Bed and Breakfast's sitting room, but it was a vastly different room. Nearly the same decorations were up, the same type of tree, garland, and just like the present the fire was snapping away. But unlike the room in the present, this future room was bursting with joy and warmth. And two children about six, seven or eight. Helena was bad with other childrens' ages. They were both bugging an older looking Myka.

"You have to read it Mommy, please, please. You have to please?"

Helena winced as one of the kids, the boy, held up a book. "The infernal orange book." Her frown slowly turned to a half a smile as the childrens' begging turned into a tickle tussle between them and Myka. "At least she's happy. Thank you Charles."

He cut her off with another loud, "Watch sister-"

Helena rolled her eyes, then barely stopped herself from gasping, "That's..."

"Darlings-"

Both the little girl and little boy left Myka's side and converged on the newcomer, "Mum, Mum- read us the Grinch, please. Please?"

Helena was stunned silent as the older looking HG chuckled, picked up the little girl and joined Myka in the love seat nearest to the fire. "Ah- the orange book. By Doctor Theo... Doctor Seuss."

Both kids laughed and Myka smiled with a shake of her head, "Read Helena. Steve and Kris need to get to sleep before Santa comes."

The elder HG cleared her throat, once, twice and in chorus the two kids said, "Mummm..."

HG smiled, "Alright. I will begin-" She cleared her throat again, a sound that turned into a laugh when even Myka shot her a look. "Every Who Down in Who-ville Liked Christmas a lot... But the Grinch, Who lived just north of Who-ville, Did NOT!-"

Helena watched in silence as HG read the story to the two children Steven and Kristina. Obviously named after Jinks and her daughter. Helena watched as her older self seemed to relax into the story and have fun while she was reading it. Helena's first and only Christmas in the twenty first century she'd been introduced to the story and she hadn't quite liked it. The rhyming seemed to have no subtly to it, and in general if Doctor Seuss couldn't find a word that rhymed, he made one up. As a writer, that grated at her nerves.

And yet as she watched the older HG read the story, she couldn't help but find herself drawn into the story. It was a good story. An evil that was tempered by good. By love. She looked at the older Myka and blinked in surprise. This time's Myka seemed to be of all things, pregnant. But she looked happy, she looked like she had when they'd been stuck in Hong Kong on the wrong side of the door to the Warehouse. Just a bit of a smirk on her face, as if she knew something the rest of the world didn't.

She realized that HG was nearly done with the story. "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

The kids loved that and the reading of the book ground to a halt as they begged her to read it again and again.

"Sister dear-"

It was the first time that Charles Wells hadn't bellowed and so Helena looked over at him. Her brother's ghost was holding a handkerchief towards her. She frowned, and then realized she was in fact crying. She took it and dabbed at her eyes as Charles spoke again, "Do you understand yet sister?"

Helena stared straight ahead, "You're torturing me."

"Try again my sister..."

She turned and pushed him backwards, "You know nothing of me. What I've done. Horrible, horrible things, and... and save them, that was to make up in some small way for what I'd done before. To then live-"

Helena gestured to HG and Myka, who were reappearing in the sitting room, laughing. Back from tucking in their children. They sat on the floor in front of the fire. Myka leaning back against HG. HG's hands resting on the small baby bump that was Myka's abdomen. "Thank you."

Myka chuckled, "Helena, you can stop saying that now."

"I will never. Thank you for loving me, for allowing me to love you. And for Stephen, Kristina, and..."

Myka cut HG off, "The player to be named later."

"A-"

"Baseball reference, yes."

HG smiled even as she spoke the next words, "I believe that you have had too much time with Pete lately."

Myka turned in HG's arms, "Well, I'm here with you now- the kids dreaming of sugar plums- not even Artie or Leena are lurking in the Bed and Breakfast..."

HG laughed and kissed Myka.

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><p>Helena blinked and she was back in the room she'd woken up in, standing at the window with Charles by her side. It had started to snow.<p>

"You were always smarter than I Helena, and yet, you claim not to understand what our journey tonight was about. Perhaps you're even lying to yourself." And then he was gone, leaving Helena staring out at the snow by herself.

"Showing me I deserve- I am loved, or in a Cataranga and Pete's case, cared for?" Helena sighed and leaned her head against he cold pane of glass. "But even if I believe any of it, none of it matters. I'm dead." She sighed. "For so many years I just wanted to die, but lived. Now I wish to live and am dead."

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><p><strong>AN: So... alive or dead? And the final part will be posted before Christmas.**


	4. Christmas Day

A/N: Here's the final part, and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, or a Happy Hanukkah, or Solstice (though, I guess that was yesterday), or Kwanza, or whatever holiday you celebrate. Or even just a good weekend.

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><p><strong>Christmas Day<strong>

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><p>Myka rolled over and groaned. There was snow and so much of it. That would mean helping Leena to clear it all away. Vents, driveway, paths. They had to be ready to snag, bag and tag at any moment. Myka loved snow than most everyone else at the Warehouse, but not when quite so much piled up overnight.<p>

She had almost gotten back to sleep when Pete's voice echoed through the entire house. "My god, stars and horseshoes. Myka, Artie, Leena."

Myka groaned, but rolled out of bed. She'd been having the greatest half dream. It had involved Helena. She stalked towards the living room. Not caring that she looked like she'd gone two or three rounds with a hair messing bear. She was scolding her partner before she even entered the room, "Lattimer, do you know what time it is, what day it is? The presents'll be there for-" She stopped moving, she stopped breathing, and for just a moment, she was pretty sure that her heart stopped beating. "Helena?"

Helena G. Wells sat up, and her eye connected with a pink colored C9 bulb on the tree. "Ow, ow, bollocks that's hot. Did you put outdoor lights on the living tree Agent Lattimer?"

Helena's voice seemed to snap Myka out of whatever fugue state she'd gone into and she flung herself at HG on the floor. "Helena, where, how, what happened?"

Helena put a hand to her hand, "I- I remember my brother, my daughter, Steve... and a very bad adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Oh, and How the Grinch Stole Chri-."

Myka didn't let Helena say another word as she pulled the woman to her, kissing her until Helena had to gently push Myka away a bit so that she could get just a bit of breath in. "Myka..."

Myka and Helena were still so close that their eyelashes were practically brushing each other. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Helena stood, bringing Myka with her and kissing her again. "You're not."

"How..."

It was Artie who had come out of nowhere who plucked something from Helena's shirt. He put it to his eyes and studied it for a moment. "A piece of glass. From the set of the original Star Trek series. The transporter room set if I'm correct."

"No way..." That was Pete.

Myka frowned, "But, it would have just transported her somewhere else. Not... do you remember anything else?"

"I..." She cleared her throat, holding onto Myka just a bit tighter, "I was sure I was dead."

Myka ran her hand along Helena's cheek, and brushed her hair from her face, her fingers pausing on a racing cartoid artery. "You feel very much alive to me."

Pete groaned, "Oh great. So, Mykes, you get HG for Christmas, what about the rest of us?"

Myka laughed and Leena, Artie and Pete's jaws nearly hit the floor. Myka looked over at them. "What? I can't be happy?"

Pete made a face, "Oh, I use everything in my arsenal, and I mean... arse-nal, and nothing, nada. Not even at the joke with the priest and the buffalo, and then the Brit..."

"Englishwoman."

"...swoops in, or gets dropped off by Santa, or whatever, and poof, you're Ms. Happy Mykes again?"

Myka stared at Pete for a long moment, then shrugged. "You have food, I have Helena."

Helena leaned back a little, "You are comparing me to, fruitcake?"

Pete blinked, "Whoa nelly, how'd you know what I had last night?"

"Lucky guess?"

Pete waved a finger, "Nope. Don't buy it HG. You're remembering how you got here, or... something."

Surprisingly, to everyone even himself, it was Artie who spoke, "Leave it alone for now Pete. The Regents will debrief her, and..."

Myka stepped between Artie and Helena, even though there was no danger in the Bed and Breakfast, "...and nothing. She saved our lives, and she did it with the full knowledge that she would die. I will not let them send her back into the coin, or, or somewhere worse. Ever."

Pete quirked a grin, "Uh, yeah, Artie, I know you don't like HG there, but, that's Mykes' really serious face. I usually get whacked after that face makes its appearance." Pete put his hands up as Myka let go of Helena's hand and walked up to him. But, his partner didn't hit him, instead she hugged him.

"Thank you Pete."

Pete smiled and hugged her back, looking over her shoulder at Helena, "Yeah, well, you better keep 'destroy the world woman' over there on a short leash, 'cause, well, I sorta like Yellowstone, and all the other National Parks too, just so ya know."

The phone rang, and nearly everyone jumped. Artie picked it up and listened for a moment. "Speak more slowly Claudia, I cannot understand what you're saying." Artie frowned, "Did you just say Frosty the Snowman?" Helena's head tilted to one side as Pete practically jumped from foot to foot. "No, no, stay where you are, we're coming to you."

Leena was already moving towards the coat closet. "Myka, Peter, Christmas is on hold for the moment. Apparently there is a giant..."

Helena cut Artie off, "The Yeti."

Artie put his hand up and interrupted Helena right back, "Nope, no. You're not coming with us Ms. Wells."

Helena nodded, "If you insist, but... I was the one who originally caught it."

Pete stopped in his tracks, he had been heading for the coat closet too, not really caring who won the Artie vs. Myka and Helena face off. He slowly turned, "You caught the Yeti, and didn't like, lead with that the first day we met?"

Helena didn't have an answer to that, "I didn't do it alone. Wooley was with me. Agent William Wolcott. But he is no longer present on this plane."

Myka spoke before Artie could again, "Artie. She's done this before. Caught it. How long do you think it will take us to do it, versus having the expert..."

"Well, I wouldn't say ex-"

Myka cut Helena off, "...the expert help us? I want to have a Christmas Artie. And I... I seldom ask you for anything."

Artie and Myka were locked in a staring match. Both Leena and Pete were ready to go by the time Artie finally hurfed and shook his head. "Fine, fine, she comes. But..."

Helena rolled her eyes, "I will do my best to be on the most tip top behavior."

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><p>"...ooh, ooh, and then- Plop, you went down like, like..."<p>

"You Agent Lattimer, three minutes later?"

Pete shrugged and leaned back into the sofa, "Yeah, but I was being chased by the Abominable Snowman, you, you were just walkin' and staring at your lady there."

Pete winced even as he said it, but Helena simply smiled and put an arm around Myka. "What can I say, she's beautiful."

Pete shook his head, "That's lame."

Helena raised an eyebrow, "Lame you say?" She thought for a moment, "One half of me is yours, the other half yours— Mine own, I would say. But if mine, then yours, And so all yours."

Myka smiled, "Act Three, Scene Two, Merchant of Venice."

Pete rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Shakespeare, that's even lamer."

Helena laughed, "Sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you've been and remember the person you were meant to be. The person you want to be. The person you are."

Pete frowned, "Who was that."

Myka laughed though, "That was Mr. Herbert George Wells."

Pete shook his head and stood, "Quoting yourself now. Okay then. I'm hungry. Do you ladies want anything from the kitchen?"

Helena shook her head, as Myka spoke, "Leena's going to whack your hand with a spoon you know."

Pete put on his most rakish grin, "I'll risk it..." And left the room.

Helena watched him go, and turned to Myka, "He's not subtle."

Myka smiled, "No, he's never been that. But, he's always been there for me."

"He likes you."

"And I love you Helena. So, did your brother say that, or did you?"

Helena closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the love seat, "I did. You know, I had some of the weirdest visions during my time... wherever I was for almost three months."

"You don't have to tell me what they were..., but, do you want them to come true?" Myka tucked her feet under her and turned towards Helena.

"I- I'm not sure. But, I know one thing for sure." She leaned forward and gave Myka just a bit of a kiss. "I want to us to find our way together. Whether I'm... a Warehouse Agent or..."

"Teaching English at Univille High?"

Helena blinked, "Univille has a high school, it doesn't have a stop light." Myka chuckled, "But, yes."

Myka turned and lay back against Helena on the love seat, staring over at the flickering fire. "Good. But, I just fought a Yeti, and won, so I'm gonna pass out now,... and we'll talk about our future... together. Tomorrow. Sound good?"

Myka was practically asleep before Helena spoke again, soft words, "It sound absolutely perfect."

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><p>Fin ~ December 22nd, 2011<p> 


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